ZIM paid rich tribute

LAHORE:A condolence reference was held here Friday by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) to pay tribute to Zaffar Iqbal Mirza (ZIM).

Paying tribute to Zaffar Iqbal Mirza, Imtiaz Alam said ZIM was my teacher and a great lover of music and friends. He was found of editing and English language. He always made sure during the editing of any column and news that overall tone must not be changed. He also worked in Civil and Military Gazette and Pakistan Times. After Bhutto hanging he joined Viewpoint and Dawn and Hussain Naqi's Punjab Punj. He was the man who was exploited in love of others. Imtiaz Alam shared, When I regularly joined journalism as a professional journalist, I met the man at the Viewpoint who eventually became my teacher. Initially I used to write longer and complex sentences and he always reprimanded me and used to turn the Hegelian stuff into small and smart pieces. While meticulously editing he never changed the content or tenor and tone of the write-ups and the stories. The time we spent with him at the Viewpoint was of both learning the ethos of professional journalism and enjoying the late evenings with him with classical music and feel-good drinks. He was a kind of Sufi who loved people, cricket, and music and, above all, literature. In his death, we have lost a man who was more than an angel, expressed Imtiaz Alam with grief.

Masood Ullah Khan, a friend of ZIM shared ZIM’S first love was journalism. During Pakistan Times he was well aware of the restrictions. After he came out from Pakistan Times, he freely wrote. His headlines like “Wait until dark and Larkana till night” were talk of the town. It was a fun to be there. He was fond of radio. His favourite song was “Hum toh muhabbat karay ga” vocalised by Kishor Kumar” said he. Zim was backstage man for everyone. Before understanding ZIM first you need to understand Lahore, said Hussain Naqi.

His English writing skills were outclassed. He was sharp and skilled. IA Rehman said young ZIM replaced Mian Nizamuddin who was pioneer of reference section. ZIM was different. He disliked bogus persons. Dr Akmal Hussain: ZIM was part of defiance against dictatorship but his resistance was always through proper word selection. Salima Hashmi and other paid rich tribute to ZIM.